OT: Any of you guys that can or know how to run a license plate lookup?

eKretz · Apr 23, 2017

Last night on the way home with my two kids in the car I got rear-ended by a hit and run driver. Driving a little mini Cooper and hit by a Dodge Ram truck - if the hatch had been bashed in about another foot it would have nailed the back of the seat with the kids' car seats in it. As soon as the prick slammed into us I pulled off to the side thinking we'd exchange info, wait for the police, etc. The other driver immediately hit the gas and took off. I caught the license plate as well as I could but not sure if it's 100% correct. Contacted the police immediately last night but haven't heard back yet. Gave them the the plate number as I could recall it.

redlee · Apr 23, 2017

If the police have the Plate No. contact them.
What woukld you do if you had their info.
Probably a stolen plate.

Milland · Apr 23, 2017

Agreed - if you try to deal with this yourself it's looking for trouble. Someone who'd take off after crashing into your car might not hesitate to shoot you if you showed up at their door.

Politely, but firmly, get on the police to deal with this. You might be able to talk with area businesses to see if they have video cameras that could have caught the accident. You might look for paint chips or broken bits of the truck to keep for evidence, but still these are best left to the police. Do take lots of pictures of the car damage and anything else relevant before rain or traffic removes them.

Good luck, let us know where this goes. And keep careful track of any harm you might have suffered from the crash, some injuries can take a while to show...

eKretz · Apr 23, 2017

I'm not looking to show up at the bastard's door, I'd be more likely to kill him than the other way around (I am 6'3" 220 lbs, have done quite a bit of amateur boxing and also have a concealed carry permit), but the purpose of my information gathering is to maybe do what I can to get the jerk nailed to the wall. I live in a small town with no businesses anywhere near where I was rear-ended, so probably no hope of cameras there. I have also had other incidents (thefts from my yard) that let me see just how little the local police are willing and/or able to contribute to catch someone they don't already have red-handed.

One of the thefts was of the wheels of my other car - the thieves (who left footprints and came over the back fence from a neighboring utility company - who surely have cameras). My nosy old lady neighbor from across the street, who has a very large picture window facing my house, also let me know the day after the theft when I called to let her know we had been robbed that the same utility company's meter reader had been taking photographs of my car's wheels with his phone. Still got no recovery or even charges on that one, that was 8 years ago.

eKretz · Apr 23, 2017

I just found a website with a reverse license plate lookup, it would appear that I was successful in seeing/recalling the plate number, it gave me a make, model and year that match the vehicle that hit us as far as I could tell. I will call the officer tonight when he is back on duty and forward that info, hopefully they will act on it this time.

traditional-tools · Apr 23, 2017

car2 said:
Likely a drunk with no driver's license, or insurance. I'm surprised, at this stage in time, that the states are not hocking people's license plate information also; they already hock peoples demographic and other information from tax returns.

Don't be surprised, they ARE! Maybe not the States, but the Feds...

Milacron · Apr 23, 2017

From a store across the street I witnessed an SUV backing into my Mazda Miata (both parallel parked...he probably couldn't see it back there). I was able to get his liscense plate as he drove away, called SC DMV and they wouldn't tell me who it was at first.... but the gal relented eventually and told me. But then I got to looking at the actual damage and figured it wasn't worth the trouble to fix and just let it go.

I guess my point is, DMV is not supposed to tell you these things but they might anyway via some sweet talk

===========

But speaking of just happening to witness your own car mishaps, when I was a freshman in college just happened to glance out the second floor of biology lab at the exact moment some jerks from my dorm hall taking the distributor cap off my car (most of my dorm mates were fanstastic folks, but these two were total jerks). So I run down there to confront them and they are astounded I just happened to catch them in the act, put it back and all is well.

Except thinking back on it later, what I should have done is nothing......just go about the lab class as usual, go to car, put distributor cap back on and never mention it...... would have driven them crazy trying to figure out how what they did didn't work....LOL....

I guess the issue was, from the distance I couldn't tell for sure that was all they were going to do....they might have taken some plug cables with them for all I knew at the time.

(and yes, this was eons ago when you could not lock the "bonnet" and there were distributor caps

)

Milland · Apr 23, 2017

eKretz said:
I just found a website with a reverse license plate lookup, it would appear that I was successful in seeing/recalling the plate number, it gave me a make, model and year that match the vehicle that hit us as far as I could tell. I will call the officer tonight when he is back on duty and forward that info, hopefully they will act on it this time.

Good, I hope you can get the police to do their job. I understand your anger from post #5, it's not for you, it's about your two kids that were at risk, that would drive any parent up the wall. But see what the cops can do first, if they really are slacking it might then be time to contact the local chief, or better still find a friend or business contact that knows someone in the department.

And I guess you could write a note of thanks to Mini, as the car took a beating but saved the three of you.

gustafson · Apr 23, 2017

most likely drunk

they increased the penalty for leaving the scene in Mass to same or worse as DUI to try to prevent this

rons · Apr 23, 2017

If you called the district attorney they would be able to look up the license plate and find out who it was. To let a regular citizen look up information like that invites retribution, I'm sure the authorities have figured that out and don't want people making revenge actions. From experience, someone hit and ran on me. So I chased the guy in my RX-7, way faster than his little beater. He finally stopped after realizing I was in hot pursuit and would not give up. He said he was on the way to the hospital because his son was injured. That was BS, I found out later that day he was uninsured and renewed his insurance that same day. So what did I do, went to the most expensive body shop in the area and got an estimate. Made the guy eat it via my insurance company. :cheers:

BTW, he looked like a Mexican immigrant.

CarbideBob · Apr 23, 2017

Go to the proper authorities.
For sure not a problem for a black hat but then you are bending the rules and do not want to get caught.
(assume your TOR browser is up to date and the needed computer fakes are in place, then there is how and where to bury the bodies).

You are pissed, I get that and have been there.
Deep breaths, back off and relax. Do not try to take it down on your own.
Part of this is what insurance companies are for and why we pay them.

I do know how hard it can be to let this go and that the system will do nothing which makes it worse on ya.
Yet the real suffering person is you if you can not.
The idiot/fool/moron that did this is not loosing sleep or years off his life but you are.
Fixing this yourself puts you outside the law both legal and religious.
Bob

paul39 · Apr 23, 2017

eKretz,

Give all the information you have to your insurance company. They will do some ball twisting.

Paul

SteveF · Apr 23, 2017

Years ago I wanted to know about the history of a vehicle I was about to buy and the DMV let me fill out a form, pay a small fee and would give me the info but that was a fair number of years ago and don't know if that can still be done in NC or anywhere else.

Contact the Indiana DMV, they are the only ones who can answer this question.

Steve

Bill D · Apr 23, 2017

so you got 13 replies, be nice and post the site you found for future reference.
Bill D

paul39 · Apr 23, 2017

Bill D said:
so you got 13 replies, be nice and post the site you found for future reference.
Bill D

reverse license plate lookup free - Google Search

I didn't try any of them.

Paul

eKretz · Apr 23, 2017

Sure, all you had to do was ask. Here you go:

Reverse License Plate Lookup - Plate.RecordsFinder.com

This only got me the vehicle make, model and year but that's better than nothing and can't beat it for free.

Davis In SC · Apr 23, 2017

I just ran one of my tags, Make/model/year came up correct.. For $2.95, it says it will tell me more.. Might be a teaser that keeps wanting more $ for more info..

Ries · Apr 23, 2017

car2 said:
You drive a Mazda Miata? Now THAT is surprising!!

if you had been paying attention, you would know that Don, over the years, has driven a Freightliner, a Corvette, a Honda Element, a 300ZX, a Dodge Ram, the Miata, and several other vehicles. We wont even start on his forklifts...

Milacron · Apr 23, 2017

Ries said:
if you had been paying attention, you would know that Don, over the years, has driven a Freightliner, a Corvette, a Honda Element, a 300ZX, a Dodge Ram, the Miata, and several other vehicles. We wont even start on his forklifts...

i could probably fill a quarter page with the vehicles I have owned over the decades. But just for starters (besides what Reis mentions), 3 different Jeep J10 pickup trucks, 2 different 1952 Chevy pickups, a Two ton Chevy rollback truck, One ton Ford flat bed (bought new), Mitsubishi Fuso box truck (bought new), Subarus, Hondas, VW's, Mercury Sable...whew...enough for now...

Currently driving 2011 Mercedes SLK300...most fun vehicle yet (convertible hardtop with AMG sport package)....... but driving the 2011 Chevy Express box truck to pick up some rare iron on Tuesday

Davis In SC · Apr 23, 2017

Ries said:
if you had been paying attention, you would know that Don, over the years, has driven a Freightliner, a Corvette, a Honda Element, a 300ZX, a Dodge Ram, the Miata, and several other vehicles. We wont even start on his forklifts...

I can testify that I have seen him in the Vette, Honda Element, and the Dodge Ram.... One you forgot is the Fuso or Isuzu cabover that said HilRom on the body.

Milacron types faster than I do...

OT: Any of you guys that can or know how to run a license plate lookup?

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